Ice Princess: Dawn
by APhantasm
Summary: Summary: My take on the Disney movie Ice Princess as set in Buffy the Vampire Slayer A/U: Set a couple months after the end of BTVS Season 7.


**Summary: **My take on the Disney movie Ice Princess as set in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

**A/U:** Set a couple months after the end of BTVS Season 7.

**Disclaimer: **Joss Whedon owns Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Disney owns Ice Princess.

**Author's Note:** Some liberties were taken. It was stated that Buffy did skate at some point. There was mention of a Dorothy Hamill phase. It was just never mentioned from what age to what age she actually skated. So I had her skate up till she was called and had her compete in Regionals once before having to quit because she became the Slayer. Also while ages don't really mesh between Tina and Buffy I had Tina and Buffy compete against each other at said Regionals.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Dawn is skating across a pond. As Buffy watches from inside the house smiling, remembering when she used to do that. Buffy raps on the window and holds up a math book. Dawn holds up her hand indicating 5 more minutes, Buffy nods her consent.

The next day the bell has just rung, ending the physics class Dawn is in.

Science lab was over and Dawn was nearly out the door when Mr. Bast spoke up, "Dawn."

She turned and quickly made a mental check to make sure she hadn't done anything wrong. "Is there a problem, Mr. Bast?"

Mr. Bast raised his hand, signaling her to wait, as he removed one slice from a wrapped package of sliced bread on his desk. He took it to a lab table and lit a Bunsen burner. Then he grabbed the slice with lab tongs and began toasting it. "Nothing's wrong… I was just curious if you've begun weighing your college options."

Dawn thinks for a moment, "Options? Uh…"

Mr. Bast nods as he turns his bread over, "Heard of the Helen Stoller Physics Scholarship?"

"No," Dawn replied.

"It's given to a student from the state who shows the most promise in physics." Mr. Bast explained, still toasting.

Dawn nods, "Wouldn't that be Ann or… Wyatt?"

Mr. Bast shakes his head, "No it's you. You have a calling, Dawn."

"I, do?" Dawn questioned. "What is it?"

"Physics!" he cried excitedly, waving his tongs. "Toast?" he offered.

Dawn shrugs, "Uh… Sure."

Mr. Bast looks to Dawn, "You're very lucky. Most people search their whole lives for their calling."

Dawn smiles, "How do you know you have a calling?"

"When your brilliant teacher tells you so," he replied, handing Dawn the toast. "And of course your eleven straight A pluses on exams is a hint."

"Wow… I have a calling," Dawn said, she just happened to disagree on what the calling was. She wanted to major in Mythology and Ancient Languages in college. Not Physics.

"Indeed, you do," Mr. Bast confirmed. "To compete for the scholarship – which you can use to attend whatever college or university you chose – you will need a letter from me for the scholarship and think of a special physics project over the summer. It should be something unusual but personal. Let them know you a little."

"I will think about it Mr. Bast, and let you know soon." Dawn turned and hurried out of the classroom eating the toast.

By the time Dawn got to the cafeteria lunch was almost over.

Ann saw Dawn and waved, hurrying over to meet Dawn. "Why did you miss lunch?" she asked.

Dawn quickly explained what Mr. Bast had told her. "He said physics was my calling and he's write me a letter of recommendation," Dawn added.

Ann smiles, "QED."

Dawn frowns, "How is this "quite easily demonstrated?" You're as good in physics as I am."

Ann shakes her head, "Not even close. I grind, you glide." She motioned toward Kyle Dayton, a student on the hockey team. "Event Horizon." Kyle passed them without even looking in there direction. "One day that guy will wake up and realize he needs a math tutor. And that tutor will be me."

Dawn shakes her head, "I don't really know if I want to go into physics. Sure I may be good at it. But I want to do go to college for Ancient Languages and Mythology, not physics.

Ann shrugs as they turn a corner in the hall, "Figure out how to get us invited to even one party and you win the Nobel."

Dawn wasn't sure what happened. One minute her and Ann were walking and talking the next Gen was looking at them and smiling. Gen had a stack of party invites in her hands that she had been passing out. Gen suddenly walked over to Dawn and Ann, "Hi you're Dawn right?"

Dawn nods, "Uh-huh."

Gen nods and hands Dawn an invite, "Here's an invite to my boyfriend's party."

"Wow." Dawn murmured.

Gen smiles evilly, "You're in chem lab with Julian Wilson, right?"

Dawn nods, "Mm-hm"

"Can you give that to him?" Gen asks.

Dawn nods.

Gen smiles as she brushes past Dawn and Ann, "Thanks."

Ann shakes her head, "That was way inconsiderate."

Dawn sighed and nodded, "Yeah I know."

That evening after school Dawn is in the kitchen cooking Dinner.

Buffy is outside watering a plant, "So Mr. Bast found a physics's scholarship he thinks you should apply for hunh?"

Dawn nods, "Yeah, but I don't want to go to college to study physics. I want to go to college to study ancient languages and mythology."

Buffy nods turning to the window, "I know Dawn. But we're not rolling in dough here. The insurance money from the destruction of the house back in Sunnydale barely covered this place. It's going to be hard trying to put you through college without one. If you can get in with a physics scholarship, you could always double major. That way you get the degree you want and you please the folks funding your education."

Dawn nods, "I guess… I have to figure out what he wants from me then. I mean, what is a personal science project? Isn't the nature of science supposed to be completely unbiased and factual? Now he wants the inner me, too?

Buffy shrugs, "You would have to ask Willow. Why don't you call her after dinner and ask."

Dawn nods, "Buffy do you regret moving here away from Willow, Xander and Giles?"

Buffy shakes her head, "With all the other Slayers activated, I can finally retire and lead a quiet life. While I do miss Willow, Xander and Giles, I'm happy with what we got going here. Talking about what we got going here, you've gotten good at skating. Probably as good as your old sister used to be."

Dawn laughed, "Who knows maybe better. I did have a wonderful teacher after all."

Buffy smiles, "I wish I could afford for you to take private lessons. I've taught you pretty much about all I can."

Later that evening after dinner, Dawn dials up Willow, "Hey Willow, its Dawn. You got a couple minutes?"

Willow on the phone, "Sure Dawn, what's up?"

Dawn looks to Buffy for a second, "I need some help. My science teacher wants me to apply for a physics scholarship. Buffy thinks it would be a good idea since she may not be able to cover the cost of college tuition herself and there really isn't a scholarship for ancient languages and mythology."

Willow on the phone, "Yeah Dawn, your babbling you know?"

Dawn laughs, "Sorry. Anyways my teacher wants me to do a personal science project. What is a personal science project? Isn't the nature of science supposed to be completely unbiased and factual? Now he wants the inner me, too?"

Willow laughs, "Dawn, sweetie. You will know your topic when it comes to you. Take me for example. I went to UC Sunnydale on a scholarship. I applied for one in Computer Science because that was something I was good at, and it interested me. I was able to weave myself into the project by showing what I could do. What are you good at Dawn?"

Dawn smiles, "Skating. Buffy thinks I'm as good as her now."

Willow laughs, "Well there you go Dawn, do something on skating. But make it personal to you. Find a way to put yourself in to the experiment."

Dawn nods, "Thanks, Willow."

Willow on the phone, "No problem, Dawn. Give Buffy my love and talk to you later."

Dawn laughs, "Will do. Talk to ya later." Dawn hangs the phone up and then sits down next to Buffy, "Willow said to do something on skating. And to find a way to put myself in to the experiment."

Buffy smiles, "That sounds like a good idea, Dawn."

Dawn nods, "Oh and Willow said for me to give you her love."

Buffy laughs, "Next time I talk to her I will have to thank her."

Just then a knock came at the door, Buffy gets up to answer it and lets Ann in. "Dawnie, Ann's here."

Dawn motions for Ann to sit down since she is watching a figure skating competition. Buffy goes into the kitchen to wash dishes.

The figure skater on TV suddenly falls while performing a skating move.

"Oh! Oh, no. She had it locked up." Dawn cried.

Buffy looks back at Dawn, "Miss a jump, Dawnie?"

Dawn looks at Buffy and nods. "Yeah."

Ann sighs, "Ms. Summers do you have any ice cream?"

Buffy nods, "Sure Ann. Would you like some?"

Ann nods, "If you don't mind."

Buffy smiles, "I don't mind. Dawnie you want some?"

Dawn simply nods watching the TV. "Look at that recovery! Amazing. She'll still place. She's so precise. I mean, down to the last…"

Buffy carries two bowls of ice cream in to Dawn and Ann.

Dawn smiles, "You know… I bet there is an exact aerodynamic formula."

Buffy looks back at Dawn smiling, "Now you just need to figure out how to put yourself in to the experiment."

Dawn nods.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

That Saturday morning Buffy drove Dawn to the Harwood Rink. Once at the skating rink they head in, camcorder in Dawn's hand.

Buffy looks at Dawn, "Why don't you get setup. I will try and find the instructor to make sure everything is ok."

Dawn nods and Buffy leaves to find Tina. Dawn starts recording the skaters as they skate.

Suddenly there is a hand on Dawn's shoulder. She looks up to see Tina. "What do you think you're doing?"

Dawn shakes her head, "I – I'm…"

Buffy walks up behind Tina, "Excuse me are you the instructor?"

Tina turns to look at Buffy, "Yes and you are?"

Buffy smiles, "Buffy Summers, and this is my sister, Dawn."

Tina looks at Dawn and then back at Buffy, "Then maybe you can answer my questions? Why is she filming skaters?"

Buffy smiles, "It's for a physics scholarship."

Tina shakes her head turning back to Dawn, "You were scoping her triple loop, why?"

Buffy frowns, "Look lady. You don't talk to her like she is some criminal. I was trying to find you to make sure it was alright. This is indeed for a physics scholarship. Unlike you I can't afford to send Dawn to college. That means she needs a scholarship."

Tina frowns and looks back at Buffy. She then turns to face a young man, "Teddy will you come over here? I'm going to talk to Ms. Summers alone for a moment."

Teddy nods and walks over next to Dawn.

Buffy and Tina walk upstairs to Tina's office.

Tina turns to Buffy, "I'm not going to call the cops. The rink is closed from six to ten for private practice. The girls down there are training for the regional championships."

Buffy nods, "I understand completely. When I was 14 I actually trained for the regionals myself. You're worried that another coach could film your skaters and then use that information to improve their own."

Tina nods, "You got it. So you skated?"

Buffy nods, "Nine years ago."

Tina nods thinking back, "Out in California, correct?"

Buffy smiles, "Yes."

Tina smiles, "I think I remember you. I think we may have competed against each other, once."

Buffy nods, "It's a possibility."

Tina nods, "I heard you dropped out after placing in the regionals. Mind if I ask why?"

Buffy sighs, "When I turned 15 we moved to Sunnydale from Los Angeles. Mine and Dawn's parents had just gotten divorced. Mom was trying to raise me and Dawn alone, money was tight. We couldn't afford for me to continue to compete."

Buffy knew it was a half lie, she could have continued to compete if she hadn't become the Slayer. "I wish I had the money myself right now, I would be paying for a coach for Dawn right now… She's good. Anyways all she wants to do is film the skaters for her physics project. The only people that will ever see the video will be the scholarship committee. I can guarantee that."

Tina nods, "Fine I don't have a problem with her pressing her nose up against the glass and taking some notes. But in the end it's really not up to me. You will have a hard sell with the parents."

Buffy nods, "As I thought we would. I made sure Dawn came prepared for that eventuality."

They walk out, Tina walks over to the rink… And Buffy walks over to Dawn, "Need to talk to the parents."

Dawn nods and starts getting everything out that she brought for that eventuality.

Buffy leaves talking to several parents. A few moments later they return. Buffy looks to Dawn, "It's your show, you pitch it."

Dawn nods, "I am applying for a physics scholarship for college. I want to film the skaters and see if a unified theory emerges.

One of the parents, Nikki's mom, shakes her head interrupting Dawn, "Absolutely not."

Dawn nods, "But no one outside of the scholarship committee will ever see this program. Here's the letter from my teacher explaining the assignment. And my driver's license. Um... I've also got some letters of references from people l baby-sat for back in Sunnydale."

Nikki's mom nods, "It's possible. We'll have the Team Nikki legal team check this out." She turns and leaves.

Another parent walks up to Dawn, "No talking to my daughter. She's training. No distraction."

Dawn smiles, "Not a word. No."

Buffy smiles at Dawn, "You did well, Dawnie."

Gen skates over, "Look, I don't care if you're here. If you post me on the school website falling on my butt, you better transfer to another school."

Dawn nods as she pulls out her camcorder again. At one point Dawn became so involved in what she was doing that she stepped out onto the ice to get a better shot. Immediately, a voice shouted at Dawn. "Hey! No street shoes on the ice!"

Dawn quickly got off the ice and sighed. Buffy just smiled, "Good thing I came prepared." She pulled out a pair of ice skates from a bag.

Dawn smiled and changed into the skates before getting out on the ice with her camera.

Buffy smiled as she watched Dawn skating in her old skates. Teddy came up beside her, "She's a natural."

Buffy nods, "I know, I just wish I could afford to pay so she can take some lessons. I've taught her everything I know, which is all 9 years old."

Suddenly they heard a voice behind them. "Gen!" They turned to see a young man.

Gen skated over to the side of the rink as she smiled at the young man, "Hello, hon."

Tina frowned, "Gen! Gen! Brian, she's training. You know the rules."

Brian nodded, "l brought her a burger, Mrs. H."

Tina shook her head, "Gen can't eat that."

Gen sighed, "Come on, l'm burning tons of calories."

Tina frowned, "Not enough."

Gen shook her head, "A half-hour?"

"Not if you want to win," Tina refused.

"Hey, Mrs. Harwood," Brian called. "You should coach our basketball team. We could use a kick in the butt."

"lf you don't leave this instant, that's exactly what you'll get!" Tina shoted back at him.

Gen kisses Brian quickly, "Bye." Brian left and Gen started practicing again.

Tina didn't seem to care how angry her daughter might be. "I do not want him coming here during practice, do you hear me?" she said firmly.

"But l never gets to see him!" Gen argue. "Every other girl l knows..."

"You're not like the other girls, Gennifer," Tina insisted. "Winners make sacrifices."

"Maybe they just cheat." Gen shot back.

Tina noticed that Dawn had the camera pointed at her and Gen, "Turn that off!"

Dawn blanched, "Sorry."

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Dawn spent the next week feeding the images from her camcorder into the computer. She used her knowledge of physics to apply formulas to the skater's movements. It was the following Saturday when Buffy and Dawn had Ann over for dinner.

Dawn was worried about what Ann thought of her conclusion. "The conclusion is too simplistic, isn't it?" she asked anxiously. "The kinetic energy in a jump equals half the skater's mass times velocity squared minus –"

Buffy shook her head cutting Dawn off, "If that is simple. Then it's over my head, Dawn."

Ann smiled, "I have to agree with your sister. I don't know if it's simplistic or not. I could barely understand it! Really I don't know if they'll care, but it's just a little bit… dry."

Dawn knew Ann was right. "A little dry," Dawn repeated Ann's words. "Mr. Bast said to make it personal. How do I do that?"

Ann shrugged. "I don't know. Put more you in it."

Buffy nods, "Remember what Willow said. Put yourself in to the experiment."

Dawn nodded and thought about it. Then an idea came to her head, "Buffy how much do skating lessons cost?"

Buffy sighed, "Several hundred at least, not really sure how much. It's been several years since I skated, remember. I will drive you by the rink and you can ask Mrs. Harwood. But if you want to take lessons I can only pay a small portion, a hundred maybe two. You're going to have to get a part time job for the rest."

After finishing their dinner, Buffy drove her and Dawn to the rink. They arrived just as Tina was leaving. Buffy had just barely parked when Dawn jumped out of the car.

Dawn walked up to Tina as she was loading her own car, "Is there any way I could take a few lessons? I think I might be able to write a little better about some of these principles if I'm the one actually applying them, so if there's any way-"

"Fine," Tina said interrupting Dawn. "We're starting a novice-level class for the summer session. That's three afternoons a week, eight hundred dollars."

Dawn looked back at Buffy, who was waiting in the car, "Eight hundred dollars!" Buffy sighed as she heard what Dawn said. Dawn turned back to Tina, "Well, I don't need a whole session. It would be really cool if I could, like, work on my form for a single loop and maybe a lutz."

Tina seemed amused by what Dawn was suggesting. "It doesn't work like that," she said, shaking her head. "You can't just order one from Column A and one from Column B." Dawn sighed and nodded. "You're not a bad skater. Let me know if you change your mind."

Dawn nods, "When does the class start?"

Tina nodded, "In two weeks. I expect your payment for the class no later than the day before."

Dawn smiled, "Thanks. She turned and got back in the car. She turned to look at Buffy, "Know anyone who's hiring?"

Buffy smiled and got out of the car, "Mrs. Harwood a moment please?"

Tina turned to Buffy, "Ah, Ms. Summers. How can I help you?"

Buffy nods, "To be able to afford your classes, Dawn will have to work a part time job. Do you have an opening, maybe in the concession stand? She works for you; you get to take the cost of the class out of her pay."

Tina thought for a moment, "That might work. And if she doesn't have the full eight hundred by time class starts she keeps working till it is paid off."

Buffy nods, "Thank you." Buffy gets back in the car, "All taken care of, Dawnie. You will work in the concessions stand for Mrs. Harwood. She will take the cost of the class out of your wages. If it's not paid off by the start of class you will continue to work for her till it is paid off."

Dawn smiles and hugs Buffy, "Thanks, Buffy."

The following Saturday Dawn was working behind the counter of the concession stand at the rink. Tina showed Dawn everything in the stand, "Now your sister went to lengths to make sure you could take that class. So I expect only the best."

Dawn nods, "Of course, Mrs. Harwood."

Tina smiled, "You can keep your tips if you have any. If you want to use them to pay for the class, that is up to you. But they will be yours to keep."

Dawn nods, "That's fine."

Tina turned and left and Dawn opened the windows for the stand.

Gen came up to the stand. "What are you doing here?" she asked as Nikki and Tiffany came up behind her.

"Um… working," Dawn replied, "for my science project."

"Aren't you going a little overboard with this project?" Gen asked.

"Well…" Dawn began. "I'm completely committed to it, just like guys are committed to your skating."

"Whatever," Nikki said, "I'm starving. BLT here, hold the B, heavy on the L."

"Beef patty, no bun," Tiffany requested. "Squish it till it's dry."

"Salad for me," Gen added. "Just put in iceberg lettuce, half a cup of garbanzo beans, and a lemon wedge." She turns to follow Nikki and Tiffany. "And add a quarter cup of chesse," she says calling over her shoulder.

"Ooh cheese," Nikki teased Gen."

"Coming up," Dawn told them.

"Hey its Saturday, I can pig out if I want." Gen says in retort.

Dawn put their orders together; she couldn't help but overhear their conversation as she worked.

"I don't know what's wrong. I'm popping my lutz," Gen told them, looking worried.

"It's all that cheese you've been eating," Nikki joked.

"My father noticed I gained." Tiffany said sadly no joking one bit.

"He noticed a quarter pound?" Nikki asked in disbelief.

Tiffany nodded, "He says I'm not serious enough. I've got to focus more. I heard Zoey Bloch's been sticking a quad."

"That's a rumor," Gen scoffed, "and she probably started it herself."

"It's kind of early in the season for stupid head games," Nikki complained.

"Not for Zoey, "Gen said. "She stole Chantal DeGroat's skates at the regionals."

"Re-ally," Nikki said. "I heard it was her mother who did it."

Dawn put the food on the counter, "Food's ready." They came over.

Gen picks up her plate, "That is way more than a quarter cup."

Dawn sighs, "Um it's $1.65, $2.35 and $3.35. That's $7.30. Or if you split it the other way, it's $1.75 and $5.55."

Nikki laughed, "Woah. You can keep it all if you just stop doing that."

Gen, Nikki and Tiffany laugh as they move to a table.

Dawn shakes her head, "You're welcome."

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Two weeks later it was the first day of the class. Dawn was putting on her skates as a little girl came over to her.

"Are you a substitute teacher?" the girl asked in a disapproving tone, "because my mom paid for Tina and if Tina's not teaching us, then-"

"I'm a student!" Dawn said quickly. "Really – just like you guys."

"You're kidding!" said the only boy in the class. "What are you – thirty!?" He smirked and waved his hand at me dismissively. "You're over."

"I didn't start skating until I was five," the girl put in, "and that was late."

"Too late to compete," the boy agreed.

Dawn sighed, "I'm not in this to compete."

Tina stepped out on the ice and walked towards them, "All right, everybody. Welcome to our Snowplow Sam class. Let's line up."

The class along with Dawn lined up in a straight line. Buffy who watched from the bleachers stifled a laugh.

Gen skated over to the group as Tina shook her head, "Class, can you tell our assistant the most important rule of this class?"

"Use the bathroom before class?" a little girl offered.

Gen shook her head, "Mom!"

Dawn looked around her as the rest of the class answered Tina's question, "Never be late!"

Tina nods, "We've got a lot to do if we're going to be ready for our recital in August. We're going to work on our toe loop…"

Gen demonstrated a toe loop.

"… our lutz …" Tina continued as Gen did a lutz. "But first you all have to get comfortable throwing you bodies in the air." Tina turned to Dawn, "Dawn, you're a physics whiz – what's the rule about what goes up?"

Dawn smiles, "Technically, it's that every particle attracts…"

Tina shook her head, "Dawn."

Dawn sighed, "Must come down."

Tina nods and walks over to a bucket and picks up a padded pair of shorts. "This… is your new best friend." She waves them in her hands, "So grab some Styrofoam."

Dawn looks at Buffy as if to ask do I have to, Buffy simply smiles and nods.

Dawn sighed and picked up a pair of the Styrofoam shorts. She slid them on to her hips and began throwing herself around, most of the time she landed on her rear. Once she threw herself high into the air and landed wobbly on her feet, nearly colliding with one of the girls in the class.

"Could you try to, like, not squish me?" the girl scolded.

"Sorry," Dawn apologized breathlessly.

"Dawn, you've got to pull your arms in," Tina advised as she walked towards Dawn. "They're throwing you off balance." Dawn nodded. "Now try that about five thousand more times."

"Right," Dawn muttered.

Dawn heard a woman yell at the boy, "Jeremy that toe pick is there for a reason! You dig it in or no TV for a week."

Dawn was glad Buffy wasn't that obsessed. She wondered if mom had been that obsessed when Buffy had trained for the regionals back in California.

The girl that Dawn nearly crushed skated by her. "This is a lot of pressure for a recital," Dawn commented to the girl.

"It's only everything," the girl replied coolly. "The whole point is that you've got to pass the USFSA-JST."

Dawn nodded having heard about the test from Buffy, "Which makes things twice as difficult for you all."

The girl looked surprised, "You know what that is?"

Dawn nodded and pointed to Buffy, "My sister had to pass it when she was skating."

The next three hours passed with her practicing jumping and throwing herself in to the air. Dawn as the last to leave the ice as the Zamboni came out. Dawn watched as the machine created fresh, clean, gleaming ice wherever it went. She stood and was about to go back out on the ice when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Dawn turned to look at Buffy who shook her head, "It's dangerous with the Zamboni out there, Dawn."

Dawn nodded and sat down waiting for Teddy to finish. She wanted to take one quick pass to see the difference.

Teddy came up next to Buffy, "Scratching up my nice clean ice."

Buffy nods, "That's Dawn. She's not used to the smooth surface."

"Lake skater?" Teddy asked.

Buffy shook her head, "Me, no. I'm a rink skater. Just haven't been skating in years… Oh you mean Dawn, yes pretty much."

Dawn skated over to the railing wobbling slightly. Teddy turned to face Dawn, "You really must want that A."

"It's not for an A, it's for a physics scholarship," Dawn told him.

"What, like inertia, and drag, and velocity, and all that?" Teddy asked.

Dawn looked at him, surprised. "How did you know about that?"

"I'm into cars," Teddy explained. He jerked his head toward the Zamboni. "I get this baby out on the road I can open her up to… oh, seven miles an hour. She'll blow the doors off any street sweeper in town."

"We should get home, right Buffy?" Dawn asked.

Buffy nods, "Yeah, we should."

Dawn took off her skates and put back on her regular shoes before they left.

In the car Buffy turned to face Dawn, "Looks like someone has a crush?"

Dawn blushed, "Buffy! I so do not."

Buffy nods, "You so do, too."

* * *

**Chapter 5**

That night Dawn's muscles ached horribly. Buffy had been kind enough to draw Dawn a bath so she could relax a bit.

After the bath, Dawn went to the computer and brought up her physics project. She decided she needed to analyze the skating images again, as the class that day had given her a much more personal understanding of the skating movements.

It was already one in the morning when Buffy checked in on Dawn. "How's it coming?"

"It's coming," Dawn replied.

Buffy nodded as she understood, "It's not as easy as I or those girls made it look though."

Dawn nods, "Exactly. Doing it myself made me want to reanalyze everything. Buffy do you ever miss it?"

Buffy smiled, "Sometimes, that and the cheerleading. When we moved to Sunnydale and I became the Slayer all that stopped. Sometimes I think it would be nice to go back and change my life. But if I did that, not become the Slayer. You wouldn't be here right now; you would have been someone else's sister. And to tell the truth I can't imagine my life without you in it."

Dawn smiles, "Thanks, Buffy."

Buffy smiled, "You're welcome, Dawnie. So are you going to be in the recital?"

Dawn shook her head, "I don't think so."

Buffy nods, "You should consider it. Till then though go to sleep sometime, okay."

"Okay," Dawn agreed.

For the next three weeks Dawn worked at the concession stand morning until late afternoon. The evenings were spent either in Tina's class or practicing at the rink. On her nights she would practice. Buffy had even bought herself a new pair of skates at a yard sale the first week and on occasion when work permitted she joined Dawn at the rink.

One day, at the rink, Tina handed out costumes. Dawn decided now was the time to tell Tina that she wouldn't be in the recital.

"Oh, so you're nervous," Tina said.

"I'm not!" Dawn protested.

"No, I get it," Tina insisted knowingly. "It is harrowing, getting up there in front of all those people."

"Tina, I'm in a baby class," Dawn reminded her. "I don't think there's anything to get scared about."

Tina shot Dawn a skeptical look. "Everyone gets scared – every time," she said.

Dawn sighed.

One afternoon when Dawn was not working she asked Ann to come to the rink so she could film Dawn as she skated.

"Hi! I'm Dawn Summers!" Dawn chirped into the camera. "And I've decided to see if I could prove my own hypothesis on the application of physics to the required elements of competitive figure skating. First let me demonstrate a single flip that does not work."

Ann continued filming as Dawn skated quickly enough to pick up the speed the needed to attempt a single flip. Dawn intentionally messed up.

"That pretty much blows," Ann commented.

Dawn skated up to Ann and spoke into the camera. "Now I'm going to increase the centripetal force by tucking in my arms. This will decrease my moment of inertia, enabling me to spin faster. I'll increase the height of my jump by applying more force to my toe pick."

Dawn skated back out and did the flip again, accurately.

"Okay!" Ann cheered. "Now let's see you push it!"

"What?" Dawn asked.

"Let's make it dramatic! We need the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat!" Ann shouted excitedly. "This video is boring. Make it exciting!"

"Okay," Dawn said, accepting her challenge. "Watch this!"

Dawn skated fast, faster than she'd skated before. She jumped and did a perfect double flip.

Anna looked at Dawn as she stared at Dawn with amazement, "That was like, wow."

Dawn nodded in agreement, "Totally."

That evening at dinner Dawn looked at Buffy and smiled, "I want to do it, Buffy."

Buffy smiled, "I assume you mean the recital?"

Dawn nods, "Yes."

Buffy laughed, "I thought you would.

The next day Dawn rode her bike to the rink. She walked quickly inside and to Tina's office. "I'll do it." Dawn said. "The recital. I want to do it!"

Tina pushed her chair away from her and stared at Dawn for a moment, "Well, this is about as last minute as it gets," she remarked. "You know that you have to be here tonight by five-thirty."

Dawn sighed not knowing she would have to be there early, "I've got a Harvard Tea at three," Dawn said.

"Then what are we talking about?" Tina asked impatiently.

"No its ok I'll make it." Dawn assured her.

Tina beckoned Dawn to follow her down the hall to the locker room. She opened a trunk and rummaged through it, "I think most of these would cut off you circulation. Come to my house at noon today. One of my old things might work on you. That's assuming your sister doesn't have something?"

Dawn shook her head, "I don't think so. Not sure her stuff from when she was skating would fit anyways. I'll be there."

Dawn rushed back home to find Buffy waiting, "Tina wants me to come by her house at noon so she can give me something to wear for the recital."

Buffy nods, "Then we'll stop by there on the way to Harvard. What time is the recital?"

Dawn sighs, "5:30."

Buffy nods, "Then we will have to leave early to get you there on time."

At a quarter to noon Buffy drove them over to Tina's house. Buffy followed Dawn to the door as she rang the doorbell. A moment later Tina opened the door, and motioned for them to enter. "I have a couple outfits picked out. Choose which one you like that fits. You can keep it if you like."

Dawn nods and picks up a couple of the outfits and goes to try them on.

Buffy walks over and sits next to Tina, "I want to thank you for letting Dawn have one of your outfits."

Tina nods, "It is no problem."

Dawn came out wearing a red skating outfit. She twirled so Buffy could have a look.

Buffy smiled, "I think that one will work, Dawnie."

Dawn smiled and went back in to get put her clothes on over the skating outfit.

Buffy looks back at Tina, "5:30, right?"

Tina nods, "On the dot."

"We'll be there. We may have to leave early from Harvard but that's not a problem. She wants to do this so I intend short of a disaster we will be there at 5:30." Buffy said.

Dawn came back out and they left.

A couple hours later they were walking up the steps of a mansion on the Harvard campus.

Buffy looked at the outfit Dawn was wearing, "I know this is Harvard but couldn't you have chosen something a little less stuffy."

Dawn laughed, "I could always go in wearing the skating outfit. I bet that might make an impression."

Buffy smiles, "Maybe not the impression you intend to make though."

They went inside where the large room was already filled with many students and professors, all mingling and chatting pleasantly. A tall girl wearing a name tag that read _Penelope _came over to say hi.

Buffy smiled and told them that Dawn was interested in doing a double major in Physics and Mythology and Ancient Languages.

"Physics Rocks!" Penelope cried. "In sophomore year you can join the Quantum Club. And that rocks because we get to compete against Cal Tech, M.I.T., and Stanford. Last Year our ion particle accelerator took first place! It rocked!"

"Sounds really… rockin'," Dawn commented. Dawn looked at Buffy as if to say is this girl weird or what.

Buffy smiled.

"If you have time right now, I can take you through the entire physical sciences syllabus," Penelope offered.

Buffy shook her head, "While that would be nice. We have an appointment at 5:30."

Penelope looked to Buffy, "Not another school is it?"

Buffy shook her head, "No it has to do with Dawn's physics project for her scholarship."

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Buffy and Dawn pulled up outside the skating rink exactly at 5:30. Dawn rushed in and quickly pulled her clothes off to reveal the skating outfit.

Dawn waited with the rest of the class as the friends and family of her classmates sat down in the seats. She turned briefly and saw Buffy sitting in the front row.

Tina looked at Dawn and nodded, "I told you. It happens every time."

"What do you do?" Dawn asked, feeling helpless against the attack of nerves.

"Deep breaths," Tina advised.

Dawn nods and took a deep breath. She watched as the kids skated out first, looking completely adorable in their costumes. Finally it was Dawn's turn to skate out onto the ice.

Dawn built speed as she went through the required elements that the kids had just done – single jumps, an axel, a lutz, a single toe loop. Dawn managed to hang on to all of them without falling, except that she did a clunky two-footed landing on her toe loop. Dawn hoped she could make up for it with a flip.

Dawn skated fast and jump, she landed the single flip cleanly as the crowd applauded. And then Dawn did something that surprised even here. She followed the single flip with a double flip!

The audience cheered, but none louder than Buffy. Buffy was right then proud of Dawn, of what she had accomplished in just two short months.

The kids, followed by Dawn, skated out to the center of the rink while the crowd continued to applaud. Dawn looked at the judges and felt butterflies in her stomach wondering if she had passed or failed.

They skated off and went into the locker room. A moment later Buffy joined Dawn there. "Hey Dawnie, you did good."

Dawn blushed as Tina came in with the results. She handed them out without comment.

Each of the kids looked at their results. Dawn could tell they each were happy with them.

Lilly, one of the kids from the class, cheered as she read her result. "Novice pass! Yes!" She turned to Dawn, "Dawn, how'd you do?"

"Fine, I guess," Dawn told her. "It says junior pass."

Dawn looked up from the card when she noticed it had gotten quiet, "What?" Dawn asked.

"You skipped two levels!" Lilly blurted. "That's where Gen and Nikki and Tiffany are."

Dawn looked at Buffy and then Tina, "Is it true that I'm on a junior level now?"

Buffy simply nodded.

"Yes, it's true," Tina confirmed.

"So if I … wanted to compete…" Dawn said.

Tina didn't even let Dawn finish the though, "You can't," she said.

Buffy sighed and understood the reason Tina was trying to tell Dawn.

"Why not?" Dawn asked.

Tina took Dawn's arm and walked her away from the crowd, Buffy followed closely behind. "All that happened tonight was that the judges saw the same thing I've seen all summer – you've got some raw talent." But that's not enough to have a shot at the Regionals. You need a coach, a ballet teacher, choreographer, and private ice time. Nikki's parents took out a second mortgage just to put her through this. Tiffany's father works two jobs."

Dawn looks at Buffy who nods.

Tina points down at Dawn's skates. "Where did you get those skates?"

Dawn looks down, "They were Buffy's."

Tina looks at Buffy who nods, "They're falling off your feet," she pointed out. "You need custom Harlicks – six hundred dollars minimum – and you need to have the blade sharpened every six weeks and -"

Tina looks back at Dawn and sees how bummed Dawn looks, "I'm sorry. It just is what it is. Believe me, competitive figure skating isn't something you do on a whim."

Dawn sighs, "How do you do it for your daughter?"

"Well, she saves on a coach and choreographer," Tina pointed out.

Dawn smiles, "Buffy can coach me."

Buffy shakes her head, "Dawn as much as I would love to. There is just no way. To be able to do it…"

Dawn sighs and nods.

The last weeks of summer flew by for Dawn. It was the first day of Dawn's senior year; she was walking towards her first class as she passed by Gen, Nikki and Tiffany.

"I heard you landed a double," Tiffany said to Dawn and then began to applaud.

Gen nudged Tiffany, as if to say, 'Why are you talking to her?'

But Tiffany kept on, "It took me two years too do that," she revealed.

"Really?" Dawn asked.

The three of them began to move toward the front door. "So, I guess we'll see you," Nikki said.

"Well, no, you won't," Dawn replied, "not at the rink, I can't train with you guys."

"Why not?" Tiffany asked.

"Um, Buffy can't afford it," Dawn said. "Money is tight right now. That was why I was working at that concession stand all summer, too pay for that one class."

Dawn expected them to walk off but, to her surprise they fell into step with her. Even more surprising was what Gen said next. "Look I'll tell you something, okay? You don't know how lucky you are."

"Why am I lucky?" Dawn asked.

"You're lucky to have a life," Gen said.

"You think I have a life?" Dawn asked.

"I know you do," Gen insisted. "You have TV time, friend time -"

Dawn thought about what Gen said for a moment and then nodded in agreement. In that regards she was lucky. More so than her sister had been at her age when she was the only Slayer. "But you get to skate all you want."

"More than I want," Gen correct her. "I'd love to be you. You're free to do what you want on Saturday night -"

"You get to eat sugar," Tiffany added.

"Oh, boo hoo! Who cares about going out or about eating sugar," Nikki said. "Don't you just want to skate all the time?"

"No!" Tiffany and Gen answered.

Nikki frowned, "What's the matter with you two? Are you insane?"

"If I bobble even one landing, nobody speaks to me all through dinner," Tiffany complained.

"Then stop bobbling," Nikki chided her. "Get a grip!" Nikki turned and stormed off.

"She's a good competitor," Tiffany said.

"The best," Gen agreed.

They walked to the physics classroom door. "Well bye," Dawn told them. "This is my physics class."

"Physics? Wow!" Gen said. "I can't even pass math."

Dawn smiled, "You never know till you try. By the way you're surprised I am taking physics? What do you think that project I was working on all summer was for?"

Gen shrugs as Dawn turns and enters the classroom.

After class was over Dawn was gathering her stuff when she heard Mr. Bast, "Dawn a moment, please." Dawn nods and walked to the front of the room. "This is exactly what the scholarship committee is looking for."

"I'm finishing up the CD-ROM that goes with the report so they can see the results with a real skater," Dawn told him. "Well, not a real skater… It's me."

"I bet there are some pro skaters out there who wouldn't mind taking a look at his, either." Mr. Bast remarked.

Dawn blinked, "You're kidding."

"No, I'm not kidding," Mr. Bast assured Dawn. "It seems like the kind of thing that could really help them up their game. And, just think – it's not even illegal."

Dawn smiled as that thought entered her mind. She could make a little money to pay for rink time by using her physics project to improve other skaters.

That evening as Dawn and Buffy ate dinner. "Mr. Bast thought some pro skaters could use my physics project to improve their skating," Dawn said.

Buffy nods, "I'm guessing you want my approval to do that? Maybe make some money I gather to pay for some rink time?"

Dawn nods, "Yes, exactly."

Buffy smiles, "Of course you can, Dawnie."

* * *

**Chapter 7**

"She's back!" yelled Teddy. "How'd you get the rink time?"

Buffy smiled as she watched Dawn

"Physics!" Dawn told him happily as she skated the rink, preparing for a single flip.

Buffy nods, "She's been using her physics project to help some of the skaters. She's made enough so far for a few days of rink time." Dawn made the flip and landed a little off. "Pull your arm in just a little, it threw you off there."

Teddy looked at Buffy, "So you're training her?"

Buffy shook her head, "I don't have time to train her and work. I still have to provide a living for the two of us somehow. Normally I wouldn't even be here, except I had a day off from work."

When Dawn's rink time was done, she went into the locker room. She was starting to unlace her skates when Nikki came rushing in.

"She said absolutely not," Nikki told Dawn. "She goes, 'The Jumping Shrimp does NOT share her choreography with the competition!'"

"The Jumping Shrimp?" Dawn asked.

"It's my trademark. Mom copyrighted it," Nikki revealed. "We're marketing plush shrimp dolls and everything. Anyways," Nikki went on, "I convinced her that I could teach you my last year's program. I mean, it's old, but who cares, right?"

Actually, Dawn cared – a lot. "Right," she agreed. "Who cares?"

A couple days later during Dawn's first session with Gen. Gen was having a lot of trouble landing a double axel and nothing would make her believe that a scientific formula would make any difference. But Tina insisted, she gave it a try.

Dawn gave her some pointers that were based on principles of physics and analysis of the way she was performing the move. After listening, and viewing the computer image, Gen raced around the rink and then took off!

Up in the air Gen went for, then two revolutions. By doing it Dawn's way she gained the height she'd been lacking and she came down gracefully.

"It worked!" Dawn shouted happily.

"You told me it would," Gen reminded her. For the first time ever, Gen actually smiled at Dawn.

On the next Saturday afternoon as Dawn was cleaning up the snack bar kitchen, Gen came in and asked her if she wanted hang out with her. Dawn was shocked by the request, though she knew she shouldn't have been. Nikki, Tiffany, and Gen had all been pretty friendly to Dawn since the first day of school. So Dawn had said yes that she would hang out with Gen.

That evening Dawn and Gen ended up at a backyard party full of kids Dawn barely even knew. Gen dragged Dawn over to meet Kyle Dalton.

"Dawn, Kyle," Gen introduced us. "Kyle plays hockey, and Dawn, you skate. So you two have a lot in common. Have fun!"

Gen smiled and rushed away. Dawn saw her melt into the arms of Brian, her boyfriend.

Dawn was starting to get the picture. She was the cover to get Gen out of the house so she could be with Brian.

"So, you skate, huh?" Kyle asked.

"Figure… skate," Dawn answered, trying to get her nerves under control.

"I wouldn't let the team hear this, but you guys could skate circles around us," Kyle said.

"But I'm not pushing a puck," Dawn pointed out, feeling more comfortable.

"You should come to our next game," Kyle said.

Dawn was about to tell that she'd love to come watch him play – but she was suddenly distracted by a guy who was whooshing abover them on a zip-line that had been suspended across the backyard. "Woooooo!" he cheered as he zoomed past.

"Uh-oh, he's not going to make it," Dawn realized.

"Sure he will," Kyle disagreed.

Dawn shook her head, studying the guy, who continued to shout happily as he cluthed the triangular blue handle as he rode on. "No," Dawn insisted. "Assuming his weight to be 150 pounds, and at that rate of descent, his projected trajectory brings him—"

Kyle and Dawn cringed as they heard a terrible crash right behind them. Turning, they saw that the guy had smashed right into the patio furniture.

"It brings him right there," Dawn said to Kyle. "It was a simple V times M equals A miscalculation." Kyle looked at Dawn bewildered. "You know," she added, trying to explain, "velocity times mass equals' acceleration. Physics."

Kyle slowly started backing away from Dawn, "I have to… um…" he stammered. "Uh… later," he said before hurrying away.

A group of "cool" girls had witnessed the entire event and stood staring at Dawn like she was the biggest loser of all time. "That was Kyle Dalton," on of them informed Dawn with chilly disdain.

"Word of advice," said another of them. "Don't ever talk again."

"Sorry," Dawn said. "I can't help it. When I get nervous I babble a little. Actually, I babble a lot. It's like a gear comes loose in my brain and just like one of those Planck diagrams of random particles colliding out of control –"

"Um… you're doing that babbling thing again," one of the girls pointed out, her lip curling into a scornful sneer."

"I think babbling is hot."

The three girls and Dawn turned at once to see who had spoken. Teddy walked up to Dawn and took her arm, walking her away from the crowd of jeering girls. "Thanks," Dawn said, sighing with relief. "Do they eat small rodents for breakfast?"

Teddy and Dawn walked together into the house. "See I don't go to many parties," Dawn explained. "Well, no parties, really, at all, unless you count birthday parties – but who counts birthday parties? I mean, they're mandatory and they're usually mine or Buffy's. You can't count your own or your sister's party, can you?"

"Hey, Dawn, it's me," Teddy said gently. "You can stop now."

Dawn took a deep breath, finally calming down. "I can?" She asked.

Teddy nodded toward the girls who had just been taunting Dawn outside. "Don't let them get you nervous. You're prettier, smarter, and way cooler than all of them."

He grabbed a couple of sodas from an ice-filled bucket and handed Dawn one. "So, you're Gen's cover story for tonight," Teddy said as he and Dawn opened the cans. "That's usually my job."

"Why is it your job?" Dawn asked.

"Being Gen's brother isn't easy," Teddy answered.

"She's your sister? Dawn cried.

Teddy nodded. "Yeah."

Then Dawn realized something even more surprising. "You're Tina's son?"

"Is that so hard to believe?" Teddy asked.

"I just thought… uh… wow…" Dawn said.

"You thought I was the help," Teddy supplied. "Well, I kind of am. Gen skates and I fix stuff. That rink was a pit when Mom bought it with her divorce money. I helped her bring it back. I did all the repair work, painting, the Zamboni." He smiled as he mentioned the Zamboni. "That's my favorite part. Ever since I was a kid I loved to take things apart and put them back together."

"That's your calling," Dawn commented.

"Calling?" Teddy asked.

"The thing you were born to do." Dawn explained.

"Yeah, I guess it is," Teddy said. "It's funny to think of myself as having a calling. Gen is the one with the talent. In our family the focus has always been on getting Gen to the Nationals."

"Just because you don't skate, you don't think you have any talent?" Dawn asked Teddy. "Don't you think you're worth something, too?"

"I don't know," Teddy admitted. "Am I?"

"I think you are," Dawn told him.

"So, for you, you're calling is the science stuff, I suppose." Teddy said, shifting focus back to Dawn.

Dawn shook her head, "I'm good at it, sure. But it's not what I want to do. I only am trying to get physics scholarship to pay for college. I really want to major in ancient languages and mythology."

* * *

**Chapter 8**

Dawn worked with Gen, Nikki and Tiffany on their skating while she trained and studied ballet. Buffy watched knowing her sister wanted to do this but could tell at the same time Dawn had not been prepared for the rigorous schedule of training for Regionals. Buffy's first indications were when she saw Dawn showed her, her grades one day.

"A C, Dawn? You've never gotten a C before. Well except for that time you were cutting classes after mom died." Buffy said.

Dawn let out a sigh, "I know Buffy. I promise to do better."

Buffy looked at her sister as she sat back in the chair. "Dawn I know you want to be in Regionals and all. But if your grades slip much farther I'm going to have to put my foot down and say no more skating till I see an improvement in your grades. I know you don't want that."

"No I don't. I will do better. I promise." Dawn said.

Buffy smiles, "That's good."

Dawn did as she promised and worked harder on her schoolwork. Finally when the day of the Regionals had come she was excited to be going. She stood there looking at the skating outfit that Tina had given her.

Buffy came into Dawn's room with a small package, "Here I wanted to give you this." She handed the package to Dawn and smiled. "Mom gave it to me when I competed at Regionals."

Dawn took the package from her sister and opened it to find an ornate necklace. She looked up at Buffy and smiled, "It's beautiful. Help me put it on?"

Buffy nods and took the necklace and went behind Dawn as her sister puller her hair out of the way. Buffy put the necklace on Dawn and then she turned and Buffy nodded in approval. "It looks beautiful on you."

Dawn nods, "Thank you. So did you manage to get off work?"

Buffy shakes her head, "No Dawn, I'm sorry. But I will have someone there videotaping both your long and short."

Dawn looked at her sister, "Who?" she asked trying to think of which of her sister's friends could have been in the area.

"It's a surprise, Dawn." Buffy said.

Buffy then drove Dawn over to the Harwood Rink. As Dawn got out of the car she gave Buffy a quick hug and walked over to the van. Before getting in she turned to Buffy and waved.

Buffy smiled and mouthed, "Good luck." Dawn smiled as Buffy drove off.

It took them several hours to reach the Westerly Ice Rink, where the competition was held. Nikki and her mother bragged the whole way about all the corporate sponsorships and "Jumping Shrimp" marketing opportunities that would be coming Nikki's way. Tiffany's parents tried to outdo Nikki's mom claiming Tiffany would win ever better deals. Dawn was glad Buffy was not that way.

Gen and Dawn sat together in the van. Gen passed the time by giving Dawn advice and telling her about all the ways skaters tried to gain a psychological edge by playing "mind games" on the other skaters.

"Watch this," Gen said. She turned around in her seat and spoke to Nikki. "Hey, Nik, everybody says you and me are going pick up first and second today."

Nikki made a face at Gen, not buying it. "Nice try," she scoffed.

"What was that all about?" Dawn asked Gen.

"It was a classic psych-out," Gen explained. "It softens up the competition, sets them up to think they don't have to go all out to win. Don't ever fall for it."

"Got it," Dawn said.

"And no matter what happens in the short program, even if you tank," Gen went on, "you just keep telling yourself it's only a third of the score. Never freak until after the long program."

"Freak after long," Dawn said, making a mental note. "Okay."

Gen sighed and shook her head, "I can't believe I'm giving away trade secrets," she said.

They finally arrived at the Westerly Rink and entered through the locker room. About a doze girl between the ages of about twelve and seventeen were already busy stretching and walking through their programs with sneakers on.

Gen took Dawn's arm and nodded toward a girl wearing headphones. "That's Zoey Bloch," Gen whispered to Dawn, "also known as Skate Thief."

Zoey turned and glowered at Nikki, who was right behind Gen and Dawn. "Hmm. It's the leaping lizard," she sneered as she pushed her headphones off her ears and onto her neck.

"Jumping Shrimp," Nikki corrected her icily.

Zoey's lip curled into a contemptuous grin. "Like that's a step up."

"Don't get any closer to her, Nikki," Gen put in. "You don't want to lose your skates."

Zoey snorted with derision. "Like I'd need to steal her skates to win this thing – or some lame computer program, either."

Dawn turned toward Gen. "How'd she know about that?" Dawn asked.

"Her coach is Rasputin," Gen replied in a voice loud enough for Zoey to hear.

"Eat it, Harwood," Zoey snarled.

"Blow it out your –" Gen didn't get to finish because Tina swooped in and guided Gen away from the brewing fight.

Dawn found a locker and changed into the red skating dress Tina had given her. She was lacing her skates when Zoey came up and stood by the locker net to Dawn's. Dawn turned away, trying to pretend she had noticed her. "So you're the one without a coach," Zoey said.

Once Zoey spoke, Dawn couldn't just ignore her, so she turned in her direction. "Heard you're pretty good," she said. "Why'd you start so late?"

Dawn blew her off with a flip remark. "I lost my watch," Dawn replied, just wanting her to go away.

Zoey took a step back. "Hey, I just wanted to wish you luck," she said, insulted. "It's not easy going out there your first time."

Dawn felt bad. She hadn't done anything to her and she shouldn't been so rude. "Thanks," Dawn said.

"You just gotta keep focused and be impressive," Zoey advised Dawn. "Set the groundwork for next year."

"Next year?" Dawn asked.

"There's no way you're gonna place this year," Zoey went on. "The judges have already ranked this thing in their minds. The skate's just a show for the fans."

Dawn narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Noby says it's fair," Zoey continued. "They just don't know you." She glanced down at the skates Buffy had given Dawn. "Nice skates," she said, tossing the remark over her shoulder as she walked away.

"Another classic psycho-out," Gen said, coming alongside Dawn. "I heard what she said. It was the old 'You've already lost so why both trying?" It's an old routine."

It was finally time for the first event, the Ladies Short Program. Dawn stood behind the boards watching nervously awaiting her turn to skate. She glanced at the audience trying to find who Buffy said would be taping her. She didn't see anyone she recognized.

Dawn watched the other skaters go out. First there was Zoey, then Nikki, Tiffany and finally Gen.

When Gen returned from doing her short program she seemed to Dawn to be emotionless. Tina met Gen at the boards, "Okay we're in," she said. "You're definitely in the top four."

"You're going to the Sectionals!" Teddy cheered, squeezing Gen's shoulders.

A moment later it was Dawn's turn. "Our next skater is Dawn Summers from Millbrook, Connecticut," the announcer boomed over the public address system."

Dawn reached the center of the ice and looked into the bleachers at the crowd. That's when she saw her. Dawn smiled and waved at Willow, who waved back and held up the camcorder to show Dawn she was ready.

Dawn took a deep breath to steady her nerves. The program music she had selected began and Dawn glided into her first jump – a double flip. Right away Dawn knew that her launch was a bit stiff. As she came down, her right ankle gave out, throwing her off balance. Dawn was pretty sure that the bad condition of her skates was partly to blame for her not landing the jump.

Dawn got back up and got back into her routine, she picked up speed until she felt ready t launch a double axel. The jump was high and she landed it cleanly. Dawn looked at the bleachers for only a second but saw that Willow was smiling at her.

Dawn heard some of the audience was clapping. The clapping energized Dawn and she decided that she would go for a jump she had never attempted before, a triple-double combination.

She flew into the air, climbing higher and higher. The moment her blade touched the ice again, she knew it was going to come out all right. She skated out of the jump cleanly, her heart hammering.

As she came to the end of her routine she skated of the ice feeling like she really had shot at placing in the top four. There waiting for her was Willow smiling, "That was great, Dawnie."

"Thanks Will," Dawn said using Buffy's nickname for her best friend. "So which of you set this up?"

Willow smiled, "Buffy of course. But I was going to come even if she hadn't asked."

It seemed to Dawn like forever before she got her score for the short program. Her technical scores were pretty good and her scores for artistry were even better. Dawn noticed she was placed behind Gen for fifth place.

"Fourth," Gen said, reading her score.

"We'll take it," Tina commented.

Dawn knew her disappointment at being in fifth place showed on her face, because Gen came over and put her hand on Dawn's shoulder. "Come on – fifth, that's great!" she said kindly. "If you skate a clean program tonight, you can move up and knock me out of fourth."

"But fifth doesn't go to Sectionals," Dawn reminded her.

"I'll take care of myself," Gen assured Dawn, walking away.

Dawn and Willow went and sat on a bench. Dawn looked at her skates and shook her head, "I don't know how I am going to get through the long program with my skates in the condition they are."

Willow sighed, "You'll manage somehow, Dawnie."

Tina sat down beside Dawn and Willow on the bench. "Dawn you almost lost a boot out there," she said.

"I know," Dawn admitted, pulling of the skate. "It's giving out. It kind of surprises me they lasted ten years."

Willow blinked, "I thought you had your own, Dawn. You telling me those are Buffy's? From before you and her moved to Sunnydale?"

Dawn simply nodded.

"I think you'd better come with me," Tina said, getting up. Dawn pulled off the other skated and she and Willow hurried to follow her. Together they walked down a long hallway until they arrived at the rink's Pro Shop.

Inside, Tina asked Dawn for her shoe size and then said something to the saleman. He disappeared into a back room. When re reappeared, he had a pair of skate boots in a box. Tina directed Dawn to sit and the salesman put them on Dawn's feet. "How do they feel?" she asked.

Willow watched with fascination. What was this woman's deal she wondered.

"Great," Dawn said. "But I can't accept these."

"You can work it off," Tina replied. "I really just can't stand to see you held back this way." She turned to the salesman, handing him her credit card. "And we'll need a pair of blades."

Willow shook her head frowning. She wished she had remembered to bring the Watcher's Council credit card that Giles had issued her. She was sure he would have approved of the purchase.

"I'll sharpen them right up," he told Tina.

Dawn was overwhelmed by Tina's kindness. "Tina… I… I just can't believe-"

Tina held up her hand and cut Dawn off. "No fawning."

"No," Dawn agreed. "Just… thanks."

Tina nodded and walked off. Willow sat down next to Dawn, "Dawnie. Are you sure you can't skate in Buffy's skates?"

Dawn let out a sigh, "Pretty sure. I don't think they will last long in the long program. Why?"

"I just got a weird vibe from that woman, Tina. When she offered to get you new skates," Willow said.

* * *

**Chapter 9**

There Dawn was, poised at the center of the rink in her new skates, ready for her performance in the Junior Ladies Long Program to begin – ready as she'd ever be anyway.

As the music began and Dawn started to skate, picking up speed in preparation for her first jump, a double axel. She took off, tucked in tight, and spun two and a half times.

But when Dawn touched down, she suddenly felt as if her feet were on fire and her ankles were being crushed. The new skates were stiff; the boots didn't bend or give at all.

The crowd gasped as Dawn lost control of her landing, wobbling horribly. Up in the bleachers Willow frowned and began muttering a spell rapidfire under her breath. She was sure that Dawn had been injured. It took all of Dawn's willpower to hold on to the landing and not fall over completely.

Regaining her foot and composure, Dawn continued. It was then she noticed that Willow no longer had the camcorder in her hands and she could see that Willow was saying something. Dawn felt the pain in her feet lessen as she concentrated on her next jump. It would be the most difficult one in the routine, the triple flip.

Dawn dug her pick into the ice and leapt into the air. She turned – one, two, three times. The searing pain returned as Dawn came down. Willow's spell was no longer helping to manage it. Dawn managed a perfect landing despite the pain.

The crowd exploded with applause!

Dawn smiled despite her tortured feet. The hardest part was over. All that was left was to survive the rest of the routine. Finally Dawn skated off with the sounds of loud applause all around her.

Suddenly Willow was next to her carrying her purse and camcorder. She grabbed Dawn and helped her into the locker room. As Willow helped Dawn take off the skates, the results were posted. Zoey was in first place, Nikki was in second place, Tiffany was in third and Gen was in fourth.

Gen screamed with delight when she saw she'd hung on to fourth place. She hugged Nikki and Tiffany. "We're going to the Sectionals!" she cried.

Dawn watched them all sadly. Willow went over to check the results and nodded at what she saw.

Zoey was at a nearby locker changing into her street clothes and she turned when Dawn groaned in pain. "Are those new?" she asked, nodding at the new skates.

"Yeah," Dawn answered as Willow came back.

"You held on to fifth place, Dawnie." Willow said.

Dawn looked at Willow and nodded that she had heard.

"Are you crazy?" Zoey cried. "You can't compete on new skates! They take a minimum of ten days to break in. Everybody knows that!"

Dawn was confused. "But Tina didn't tell me-"

"You mean Tina whose robot daughter almost didn't make the Sectionals because of you?" Zoey sneered.

Willow frowned, "I knew there was something off about that woman. Dawn you wait here. I'm going to go call Buffy and have her come pick you up. You're not riding back with that woman." She turned and headed out of the locker room.

"Typical Tina Harwood," Zoey continued. "This is just like what happened in Calgary."

Dawn was now even more confused. What was she talking about?

"You don't know anything, do you? Zoey said, amused by Dawn'd ignorance. "They kicked her out."

Zoey slung her backpack over her shoulder. "You may want to reconsider that no-coach thing," she said as she sauntered from the room.

Looking around, Dawn spotted Gen, Teddy, and Tina all standing together. Dawn was close to tears, but she wouldn't let them see her cry. She got up and walked over and confronted Tina. "Are you happy about my feet?" Dawn asked.

Tina stayed cool. "I'm sorry; Dawn, but your old skates were a mess."

"You bought her _new_ skates?" Gen asked her mother in a voice filled with disbelief.

"Oh, like you didn't know?" Dawn shouted.

"I didn't!" Gen gried.

"I'm an idiot!" Dawn said to Gen. "And you're a little horror!"

"Don't say that to her," Teddy defended his little sister.

"Oh, right," Dawn sneered, "like you weren't part of this, too."

Teddy stepped back as though Dawn had slapped him. "How could you think that?" he yelled.

"Because it's true!" Dawn shouted right back at him. "Your whole family set me up."

Gen and Teddy looked shocked, but Tina didn't even attempt to fake it. Her face was stony. She knew Dawn had figured it out.

Dawn stared at them and shook her head sadly, "What kind of people are you? Dawn asked tearfully.

Sometime later Buffy pulled up next to Dawn and Willow outside the rink. They could tell Buffy was angry, in a I want to kill a vampire kind of way.

Buffy got out of her car and looked at Dawn, "Get in." She marched over to Tina. "How dare you."

Tina looked back at Buffy, "Excuse me?"

"How dare you injure my sister? I'm going to have to take her to a doctor to get her feet treated because of you." Buffy said.

"Dawn doesn't have what it takes," Tina said. "She doesn't have the drive to do what needs to be done to be a winner."

Buffy grabbed Tina's arm. Tina grimaced from the strength of Buffy's grip. "You bitch. She's far better than you are. Yeah I know what happened, Tina. Why you got kicked out. The internet is a wonderful thing nowadays. You will pay for Dawn's medical bills. Those new skates you bought her are now free. She's not repaying you for them. That's the least you can do for hurting her."

Tina was going to object when Buffy squeezed and she grimaced in slight pain. "Fine." Buffy released Tina and she got into the van. Buffy walked back over to her car and got in.

Buffy started the engine and drove off. "I guess a leopard never really changes its spots," she said.

Dawn looked at her sister, "What are you talking about?"

Buffy sighed and looked in the rearview mirror at Willow who simply nodded. "I did some research on Tina, Dawn. She was kicked out after a disaster at the Calgary Olympics. She somehow injured another skater." Dawn looked at Buffy with shock. "I didn't mention it to you because I like to think everyone deserves a second chance. But, apparently, someone like Tina just can't change."

Dawn sighed, "Well I don't think you have to worry about me going back to the rink anytime soon. I'm going to focus on my interview at Harvard next week."

Buffy looked quickly at Dawn, "Are you sure that's what you want, Dawnie?"

On Sunday Dawn gaze out at the pond that was visible from her bedroom window and thought about how he love skating on it. Before she had started on her physics project she had just skated for the pure joy of it. There were no blistered feet, no nasty competitions, no betrayal, just the wonderful freedom of sailing along on the ice.

In the living room Buffy was worried about Dawn. The doctor's had said her feet would heal that all she had was blisters from the new skates. Buffy had been happy to hear that, so much so that she had decided not to send the bill to Tina after all. Still she knew Dawn was not her cheerful self. What had happened the day before had hurt Dawn she knew.

Monday came too quickly and Dawn had to go back to school. She dreaded the prospect of seeing Gen there. But Gen caught up to her as Dawn walked to physics class.

"Go away," Dawn told Gen, quickening her pace.

"I didn't know about it," Gen insisted, grabbing Dawn's arm. "And there's something you have to know."

Dawn stopped and faced her. "What could you possibly have to tell me that I would want to hear?" Dawn asked.

"I'm done with skating," Gen said. "I told my mother yesterday. As you can guess, she majorly freaked. But this has been coming for a long time. I've had to face the truth. I just don't have the talent that it takes."

"How can you quit after all the work you've put in?" Dawn asked.

"I want to quit," Gen insisted. "I want to stop missing school because I'm too busy practicing my skating. I want to go to the Homecoming Dance and I want to go with Brian. And I want to stop feeling like and idiot for flunking math because I don't have time to learn it. I want to eat a big, fat, greasy hamburger with double fries and to finally know the shows on TV that the kids are talking about."

"If I drop out, you're ranked next," Gen added. "You can go to the Sectionals. It should be your slot anyways."

Dawn shook her head. "No," Dawn told her. "Thanks, Gen, but tomorrow's my Harvard interview. _That's_ my slot. That's what I should be doing."

Gen shot a doubtful look. She like Buffy didn't believe that one bit. "Are you sure about that?" she questioned.

Dawn nodded, although she wasn't sure of anything right then.

The next day Buffy drove them to Harvard early in the morning. Through the entire ride Dawn kept asking herself questions she thought the interviewer might ask. Buffy even asked her a couple questions as well.

Buffy had decided to look around the campus while Dawn was in her interview. So Dawn had gone in alone and was not sitting in front of the interviewer, Chip Healy.

He had a folder in front of him on the desk. He quickly scanned the pages and then looked up at Dawn with a smile. "So, you're up for the Stoller Scholarship," he remarked. "This skating project you did for them is very ambitious."

"Well, I was able to prove some of my theories," Dawn said.

Mr. Healy nodded, seeming genuinely interested. "Many scientists become their own guinea pig. Can you tell me how this depth of research affected you thinking?"

"What I learned was that physics really can explain a lot about a sport, like speed and balance and the arc of a spin. It just can't… it can't explain how skating makes you feel." Dawn said.

"And how's that?" Mr. Healy asked.

"There's a definite exhilaration," Dawn began." I found it quite thrilling. It was a rewarding project and the guinea pig angle added a dimension I… uh… hadn't anticipated."

Dawn stared at him a moment, as she listened to her own words on a sort of mental instant replay. She knew right then and there what she should be doing – she wanted to skate!

"I don't think I can come here," Dawn blurted, suddenly standing. "I'm sorry I wasted your time. I'm sorry."

Mr. Healy nods, "Ms. Summers, you know we won't reschedule."

Dawn nods, "I know. If I ever change my mind later I know I will have to reapply. But I think what I need to be doing right now is that…" She pointed at the video.

Mr. Healy nods in understanding, "Then I wish you the best of luck. And maybe one day I will see you on campus."

Dawn turned and walked out the door pulling her cell phone out of her pocket to call Buffy and let her know she was ready to go.

* * *

**Chapter 10**

The next day, Dawn sat down beside Ann in the lunchroom, "Are you talking to me?" she asked.

I'm not the one who stopped talking," Ann said coolly, not looking at Dawn as she ate her sandwich.

"If I could've made more time for you—" Dawn said.

"You would've," Ann cut Dawn off. "Yeah, yeah."

Dawn had taken their friendship for granted the past few months—but that was because Dawn assumed Ann and her were such good friends that a little time apart wouldn't kill the friendship.

"I hear you blew off Harvard," Ann said after a few minutes of silence.

"I want to go to the Sectionals." Dawn told Ann.

Ann stared at Dawn with an amazed lack of understanding. "So, that's everything now?" she asked.

"I wish it wasn't," Dawn admitted. "Ann, I don't know what—"

Ann clamped her hand down on Dawn's wrist, squeezing slightly. "Don't," she insisted. "Don't look to me for help. I'm still totally mad at you. I don't even know if we're friends anymore. You've got your new friends to talk to."

"I don't," Dawn told Ann. "I can't go to the rink."

Ann looked at Dawn, not understanding. "So, how are you going to practice?" she asked.

Dawn didn't know.

Two days later Dawn stood looking at the lake, the same lake that she had been skating when Buffy had praised her on how good she was getting.

Buffy came out and stood next to Dawn, "So what are you going to do?"

"Well I'm going to break these skates in, and I guess go on from there." Dawn said in response.

Buffy nodded, "I can't train you full time, you know that. I can't really even train you part time. I will offer what little assistance I can, Dawn."

Dawn smiled and hugged Buffy, "Thanks, Buffy." She sat down on the bench that Buffy had set out by the lake last winter so that Dawn would have a place to put on her skates. Once she had them on she stepped onto the ice, her feet once again burned. "I will be glad when I have these broke in."

"You are protecting your feet I hope?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah." Dawn said as she looked at her older sister. "I have my feet bandaged at the sensitive spots. And I am wearing several layers of socks. The discomfort is bearable." She tried a lap on the ice and stumbled some. "I forgot how bumpy lake ice is compared to rink ice. I'm not used to it anymore."

Buffy watched and nodded, "Take it easy, then. We don't want you going to the hospital, ok."

"Ok." Dawn said as she built speed and jumped a triple. She came down clean, and stumbled on some ridges of ice, coming down hard on her right side.

Buffy was there in an instant, "Let me see." Dawn turned to face Buffy as she examined Dawn. "Just a scrape you will be fine."

Buffy and Dawn looked up as they heard a low hum. "Do you hear that?" Dawn asked.

Buffy nodded as she looked around, using her slayer enhanced hearing to find out where the sound was coming from. Then she saw it a huge machine was slowly rising over a nearby hill. "Over there." Buffy said.

Dawn turned to look at what Buffy had seen. At first she didn't even know what she was looking at. Then suddenly both she and Buffy realized what it was.

It was the Zamboni—and Teddy was driving it.

Dawn and Buffy stood and watched as Teddy steered it towards them. He stopped at the edge of the pond. "How did you know?" Dawn asked as she and Buffy walked over to meet him.

Teddy grinned, clearly pleased at the amazed expression on Dawn's face. "I didn't think you'd just give up," he explained, "what meant you be out here bumping it out. Besides your sister called me."

Dawn looked at Buffy who nodded. She then pushed Dawn towards Teddy and the Zamboni. "Teddy," Dawn began. "I've been trying to find some way to apologize to you for the things I said."

"I've got some ideas about how you can do that," Teddy said with a smile. He moved the Zamboni onto the pond. "Do you like your ice medium smooth or glassy?" he asked as he drove forward.

Buffy pulled Dawn off the ice as Teddy drove the Zamboni. "You called him?" Dawn asked.

Buffy smiled, "Yes. I figured you wanted to say you were sorry. Besides I knew you would never be able to skate out here. As you yourself said you're not used to lake ice anymore. Teddy owed me a favor anyways."

"A favor?" Dawn asked. "What favor?"

Buffy simply smiled, "You'll find out when Teddy is ready to tell you."

When Teddy finished the pond it was glistening thing of beauty. If Dawn closed her eyes as she sailed out onto it, She could have imagined she was back at the rink.

Teddy came down from the Zamboni seat as Dawn performed her routine for him. With the ice smoothed out, nothing could stop her. When she'd spun to a finish, Dawn smiled at him, feeling like she'd never stop smiling.

Buffy knew at that moment she should leave the two of them alone as she headed back into the house.

Teddy watched for a second as Buffy left and he nodded to himself as she came out onto the ice beside Dawn, clapping.

"I'm usually so shy," Dawn admitted. "How come I can do a whole performance in front of you?" she asked.

"You let people see you when you skate," Teddy said, looking into Dawn's eyes.

Dawn looked down, but Teddy lifted her chin with his finger. "Don't worry," he said. "It's a nice view."

And then Teddy did something that took Dawn's breath away—he kissed her.

Buffy smiled from the window as she watched. Her smile quickly disappeared when she saw a car pull up the driveway. She knew it couldn't be anyone she knew. And Ann likely would have rode her bike over. Then she saw who sat in the driver's seat, Tina. Buffy rushed out of the house and met Teddy and Dawn as they came up to the car.

"Mom, look," Teddy began, "I took the Zamboni. I know that was way wrong and probably illegal, but I kept off the main roads. I only wanted to help Dawn out because I thought _somebody_ owed her."

Dawn looked at Teddy amazed that he stood up to his mother like that. "And, you know, none of this would have happened if this sport weren't filled with nut jobs!"

"I'm not here about the Zamboni," Tina said calmly.

"You're not?" Teddy cried, shocked.

"Just make sure it gets back in one piece," Tina insisted.

Buffy frowned, "Then mind telling me why your trespassing on private property?"

"I came to talk to Dawn," Tina said, looking between Buffy and Dawn. "I want to train you for the Sectionals."

"What?" Dawn asked with disbelief. "Are you crazy?"

"I have to agree with Dawn." Buffy said as she glared at Tina. "What makes you think I would allow you to train my sister?"

Tina's eyes held Buffy's as she spoke. "Teddy can smooth out the ice all he wants, but he can't smooth out her skating—which, if he's honest, he'll tell you is all over the place. Not a chance! I mean no offense to you Ms. Summers but you work a full time job you don't have the time to train Dawn. Not the way she should be trained, anyways."

To Buffy and Dawn's surprise, Teddy didn't seem angry with Tina. "She's right, Dawn," he said. "You can't win."

"Not without me," Tina added.

Buffy sighed, "Tell her what happened at Calgary, Tina."

Dawn looked at her sister and smiled. She knew exactly what Dawn had been thinking about.

"I had an unfortunate warm-up before my short program. I collided with another skater and she got hurt," she told Dawn. "There was talk because I'd been chasing her scores for years but no one could prove a thing."

"But was it on purpose?" Dawn insisted on knowing.

Tina's expression grew very hard, even for Tina. "Look, I paid my dues," she said defensively. "They threw me out and by the time they considered reinstating me. I was twenty-six and it was too late."

Dawn looked at Buffy and noticed her sister was feeling the same thing, sympathy – despite the fact they both mistrusted the woman.

"There's not a day that goes by that I don't wish I could relive that moment and do it differently," Tina added.

"Are you really sorry?" Dawn pressed Tina. "Or do you just want me to think you are so I'll train with you?"

"I'm not going to beg," Tina replied.

"I'll think about it," Dawn said. That was for sure! Dawn knew she wouldn't be able to think about anything else until she'd decided. And very likely Buffy would push her to make a decision.

"I thank you, Tina. We will give you our answer in a day or two." Buffy said.

Tina nodded and got back in her car and drove off.

The next day Dawn sat with Buffy in the dining room of their house discussing what Tina had said yesterday.

"Okay let's look at this from both sides," Buffy said. "On the one side we both don't trust Tina. She injured your feet with those skates. If I had been there I would have told you that you can't skate for at least 10 days in new skates, not till the boots are broken in. But Tina took advantage of the fact you didn't know."

Dawn let out a sigh, "On the other side. You yourself said you can't train me. You have to put food on our table somehow, right? And Tina is right on one thing I need a coach. I'd prefer it to be you, Buffy. But since it can't be…"

"I know, Dawn. Which I think is why you should tell her yes." Buffy said. "When you place at Sectionals maybe we can get a sponsor and I can cut back on my hours at work to train you."

Dawn nodded as she got up and walked to the kitchen phone, picked it up and pressed in Tina's office number at the rink. "Tina." She heard Buffy pick up the extension in her room. "The answer is yes."

"That's from both of us at least for now, Tina." Buffy said. "If Dawn comes home hurt again. It's over, ok? I was generous this time, I didn't send you the doctor's bill."

"I understand, Ms. Summers." Tina said. "You have my word that Dawn will come home every day after practice in the same shape she left your house in. Now Dawn I want you here bright and early at 5:30 a.m. And get plenty of rest, you're going to need it."

* * *

**Chapter 11**

The next morning, Buffy drove Dawn down to the rink. She didn't have to be at work till 8 a.m. that morning. They found Gen in the bleachers and sat beside her. She was watching Tina skate out on the ice.

Tina was in the middle of doing an amazing spiral, "She doesn't do it very much anymore," Gen said.

"She must have been great," Dawn commented, truly impressed.

Buffy smiled, "The one and only time I competed against her back home. She was amazing."

"Whether you like it or not," Gen said, "she's the best. No offense to you Ms. Summers of course."

Tina spun to a stop and noticed Dawn sitting in the bleachers. "When I say five-thirty, I do not mean five thirty-three!" she barked.

Gen turned to Dawn with a shrug, "It's your torture now. Why am I out of bed?"

Teddy appeared at the top of the stairs, "Hey, Dawn—" he called, hurrying down towards her.

"And NO distractions!" Tina shouted. Teddy and Dawn looked at each other, wishing they could have just a minute together. "Both of you know exactly what I'm talking about!" she added.

"Yeah, I know," Teddy said with a resigned sigh.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "You better get out there, Dawn. Don't worry I will talk to her later. There will be concessions on her training you. I'm not going to do to you what I had to go through after we moved to Sunnydale."

Dawn looked at her older sister and nodded knowing what she was talking about. Buffy hadn't had much in the way of a social life. She hung out the Bronze with Willow and Xander and saw Angel occasionally. But that had been the extent of her social activities. She had to give so much to be a Slayer including a life of her own. Dawn put on her skates and got on the ice.

Gen turned to Buffy, "Mom showed me you're long and short at your Regionals. You were pretty good. You should talk to mom about working here. Mom has been saying that she could use some help training the skaters. You would have to ask mom how much you would make of course. But it can't be any worse than what you would be making now. Plus you could take an active hand in training Dawn."

Buffy thought about what Gen said and then nodded. Gen was right a job like this would be perfect for her. She could help to train Dawn and still make enough of a living to support her and her sister. But first she would have to talk to someone else about something.

While Dawn was training, Buffy slipped out and went to her car pulling out her cell phone. She dialed Giles number at the Watcher's Council. He picked up on the first ring. "International Watcher's Council, Rupert Giles speaking."

Buffy smiled, "Hey Giles."

"Buffy. Now this is quite a surprise." Giles said. "To what do I owe this wonderful surprise?"

"I need to ask a favor." Buffy said.

"Of course. Anything for you Buffy." Giles replied.

Buffy let out a sigh not sure if she wanted to really ask, "I want to borrow $100,000."

"For what Buffy? You're not in trouble are you?" Giles asked.

"No, nothing like that, Giles." Buffy said. "This has to do with Dawn skating. I want to offer the owner of the rink she's training the money to become a partner. This way I can quit my job and help to train her, and still have an income coming in."

Giles took a few moments to think it over. "I think we can do that, Buffy. Don't worry about repaying it. We'll consider it backpay for your years in Sunnydale. While I have you on the phone. Is Dawn still going to college?"

Buffy nods, "Not right away. Probably once she's done skating. Maybe in ten years or so."

"Then you are aware that Dawn has a full scholarship to any school she wants to attend courtesy of the Watcher's Council. The only stipulation of course is once she graduates she works for us for a minimum of one year as a Watcher." Giles said.

Buffy's eyes go wide, "No I wasn't aware, Giles. I had her applying for a physics scholarship because I couldn't afford to pay for it."

"I thought I had told you, my apologies Buffy. You don't have to worry about her education. It's the least I can do for my _'daughters'_." Giles said.

Buffy had always known that Giles had considered her like a daughter to him. But this was the first time he had actually said it to her. "Thanks, Giles." Buffy hung up the phone just as Dawn came running out and hopped in to the car.

"Wow that was exhausting. You missed the session, you know? Why were you out here?" Dawn said.

Buffy smiled, "Just needed to talk to someone. Well I better get you to school." She dropped Dawn off at school and then drove back to the rink. She called in to work and told them she needed a personal day. Buffy then walked into the rink and Tina's office.

"Ms. Summers, I didn't expect to see you back today." Tina said.

Buffy smiled, "I was talking to Gen this morning and she informed me you needed someone to help train your skaters."

Tina looked at Buffy for the longest time before finally speaking up, "That is correct. Are you applying for the job?"

"Yes and No. Here's the deal. I want to become a full partner in the rink. I'm willing to offer you $100,000." Buffy said before smiling at Tina's astonished look.

"Why would you want to do that? After what I did to Dawn, you've been very much… I won't say you hated me but you don't trust me. How could you stand to be partnered with someone?" Tina asked.

"Because I believe everyone deserves a second chance. Besides this way I can quit my job. Come here help you to train the skaters, teach some classes, and help to train Dawn while making some money to pay bills." Buffy said.

Tina thought about it for a moment, "Actually I think that is a good idea. I had been thinking along similar lines myself. Well not the partner part of it, but offering you a job. But with the amount of money you're throwing around there how can I say no. I'll take $75,000. You keep the other $25,000 for Dawn's skating expenses. Since you will be a partner we won't worry about my fee for training her."

"Good. Now I will get you the money as soon as I receive the check from my backer." Buffy paused for a moment before continuing. "He's a good friend and sort of a father figure since my own Dad left so I trust he will get me the money. I want this to remain a surprise, okay. So let's not tell Dawn till Sectionals."

Tina nodded, "Okay. Anything else?" she asked.

"Actually there is one more thing." Buffy said. "Teddy."

Tina frowned, "What about my son?"

"He wants to date, Dawn. I have no objections. When she's training at the rink of course no distractions. After she goes home though she can see him. You see I had a night job in high school and through college and after. I had it hard having any sort of stable relationship. I don't want that for Dawn."

Tina thought for a moment, she didn't like it. Teddy could be a distraction for Dawn. But if she didn't consent. Buffy could take her money and Dawn and go to another rink and find another coach. "Deal. But while she is training he cannot be a distraction. So if I have him here working on something okay. Otherwise…"

Buffy shook her head, "No I think it will help her if she has her own fan section. She already has Gen and I. Teddy should also be allowed to cheer on his girlfriend."

Tina sighed, "Okay. But he stays in the bleachers. It's okay to have someone cheering for you. But I will not allow him to distract her. May I ask what she intends to do about college?"

Buffy shakes her head, "We really haven't talked about it since she decided she wanted to go to Sectionals. I think she wants to skate for now, then when the time comes go to college. She will be skating at least for a few years, that much I can promise you."

* * *

**Chapter 12**

Dawn put in so many hours of practice that she couldn't even count them; but now months after she'd begun to train Tina, she was finally at the Sectionals.

As Dawn did her warm-up out on the ice with the other skaters, she looked up to the announcer's booth high above her. She could hear the words of the announcers over the public address system.

"Welcome to ESPN's live coverage of the New England Regional Ladies Short Program," Turner Banks announced. "I've got to say, from the looks of the practice session I'm seeing down on the ice right now, these ladies are definitely fired up!"

"That's right, Turner," Michelle Kwan agreed. "They have come to compete!"

Turner Banks continued to talk over the PA system. "Some of you might remember the controversy surrounding last year's competition, when first-place contender Chantal DeGroat's skate disappeared from her locker right before the long program. Because of that, she skated poorly and fell out of medal contention, leaving rock 'n' roll bad girl Zoey Block to skate away with the gold."

Dawn remembered that Gen had told her she thought Zoey Block was the one who stolen Chantal Degroat's skate. Dawn turned her attention and concentrated on her routine. After all the months of practice, her skates no longer hurt. In fact, when they were on they felt so natural they were like a part of her foot.

Dawn's mind was on her footwork when another skater, whooshed past, going backwards. She darted out of the path of the oncoming skater just in time to avoid a collision. She'd been way to close.

Instinctively, Dawn looked to Tina. Tina had seen what happened, and nodded at Dawn. Her look said: _Be careful out there._

Glancing into the bleachers, Dawn saw that she had her own small fan section. Gen and Ann sat together, talking, and even smiling at each other. Teddy sat next to Gen and waved when he saw her looking at him. Dawn noticed Buffy wasn't there and there was three seats, along with Buffy's, marked reserved. She wondered where Buffy had gone that morning. When Dawn woke up Buffy had already left the house leaving Dawn a note telling her she would see her at Sectionals later.

Finally it was time for the competition to begin. Dawn along with the other skaters skated off the ice and headed for the warm-up room where they could watch the performances in the rink on a closed-circuit TV.

Zoey skated first. "This girl skates all out," Turner Banks commented, "and the crowd is just rockin' out!"

Tiffany was the next to skate. "When Tiffany is on, she's probably the most graceful skater in this entire competition," Michelle Kwan remarked. "And she is definitely on today," she added as Tiffany went into an incredible spin.

Chantal DeGroat stunned the audience next with an awesome triple jump. "She wants that gold!" Turner Banks said enthusiastically.

Dawn stood behind the boards while Nikki skated. She watched as Nikki performed, she had more than earned her reputation as the Jumping Shrimp. "This little dynamo has been landing massive jumps lately," Turner Banks noted.

Finally it was Dawn's turn and she skated out on the ice. "The word newcomer doesn't even begin to describe Dawn Summers," Turner Banks told the crowd as Dawn headed for the center of the rink.

"She's never performed in any skating competition anywhere until this season," Michelle Kwan added. "She's definitely a skater to keep your eye on."

"It's interesting to note she is also the only skater here today to have two coaches." Turner Banks said.

Dawn looked up startled. 'Did he just say two coaches,' Dawn wondered. Dawn didn't have much time to think about as just then that the music began. Dawn could hardly think but she had the feeling her routine was going well. She heard applause when she landed a clean triple-double combination. There was more clapping when she did her spin.

Dawn couldn't tell how her performance had compared to the others, but she skated off happy, feeling she'd done the best she could. She would just have to wait to find out if it had been good enough.

That moment soon came while Tina and Dawn waited in the kiss-and-cry area.

Dawn was thrilled to get 4.9s and 5.2s. There was even one 5.3 "And one four-pount-seven," Tina pointed out. "You're in the game, that's all," she said.

Dawn unlaced her skates and pulled them off. Tina tossed them in a locker and went to lock them up, only to discover there was no lock. "The security in here is as lousy as ever," she muttered as she slammed the locker door shut.

All the skaters gathered in the lounge to hear Turner Banks announce how we'd placed. Zoey was first, Nikki was second—and Dawn was third.

Gen rushed into the lounge and hugged Dawn. "You pulled it out, girl!" she cried.

"It's only the short program," Dawn said, remind her of what she'd told her.

"I lied," Gen admitted, laughing. "If you mess up the short program, you can never win!"

Dawn laughed with her. This was so great. It would have been perfect if Buffy had been there like she promised. For the second time that day she wondered where her older sister was. And why she had missed Dawn's short program.

"Just keep visualizing yourself landing a perfect triple loop," Gen advised Dawn as they entered the locker room for the long program. "You feel the blade hitting at the exact right angle, and you know you're going to stick it."

Dawn nodded while pulling open the locker she'd seen Tina toss her skates into.

Dawn blinked, staring into the empty locker. HER SKATES WERE GONE!

Gen glanced into the empty locker and instantly understood the problem. "They can't be far. We'll find them," she assured Dawn, pulling open locker after locker.

In an instant, the other skaters in the room became aware of what had happened. Everyone turned suspicious eyes toward Zoey Bloch. "What are you freaks looking at?" she snapped.

Gen took a threatening step toward Zoey. "Give them back, Zoey!" she demonaded.

"Back off, Harwood," Zoey growled. "I'll mess you up!"

Gen squared her shoulders and kept advancing on Zoey. "I don't care if you do. I'm not skating, but you are!"

Gen's words scared Zoey, who backed away. At that moment, Tina stepped between the two of them. "Stop it, Gen," she said. "She didn't do it."

Everyone was now staring at Tina. "She's not threatened by you," she explained to Dawn. "The question is… who here is threatened the most?"

Tina wheeled around to face Nikki's mother and reached into her oversized bag. In a second, she had pulled out Dawn's skates!

Nikki's mom pretended to be shocked. "I don't know how those could've—"

Can it, Maureen," Tina said, cutting her off sharply. "You're talking to a pro."

"Tina, how did you know?" Dawn asked her.

"I know how far parents in this sport will go," Tina replied. As she said those words, she looked at Gen rather than at Dawn. Dawn thought Gen knew what she knew—that this was as close to an apology as she was ever going to get from Tina. Judging from the soft smile on Gen's face, Dawn guessed it was enough for her.

Tina then turned her attention to Dawn. "Lace up," she commanded.

"But what happens to Nikki?" Dawn asked.

"She'll be disqualified," Tina told Dawn in a matter-of-fact tone.

Nikki stepped forward. "But I didn't know anything about it!" she objected dramatically. Dawn knew that Nikki was lying.

"That's true, Tina," Nikki's mother agreed. "She didn't know."

Dawn shook her head as she thought: like mother, like daughter.

Tina shook her head. "Sorry. I'm making a report."

"Don't," Dawn said. All eyes turned to Dawn, shocked. "Don't," she repeated. "I want to skate her, fair and square." Dawn knew that Nikki probably deserved to be disqualified—but she also knew she deserved the chance to test herself against Nikki in this event.

Tina regarded Dawn thoughtfully. "Well…" she considered. "There's something to be said for avoiding a scandal." She turned to Nikki. "You just came this close to a boxing career," she told her.

Dawn sat on the bench and began to lace up her skates.

Tina sat alongside Dawn on the bench and held out her hand to Dawn, offering her something. Looking down Dawn saw that she was giving her earplugs. "I forgot to tell you this during the short program, but I'm telling you now," she said. "You can lose the long program just sitting here if you don't prepare properly."

Dawn stared at her, not understanding, as Tina pressed the earplugs into Dawn's hand. "Put these in," Tina insisted. "Believe me, you don't want to know what's going on out there. If a skater falls, you'll get overconfident. If she brings the crowd to its feet, you'll feel pressure. Don't watch the performances; don't hear them—stay in your head, loving your skates. No one else exists."

While Dawn waited for her turn. Gen came alongside her and she asked to use Gen's cell phone to call Buffy.

Dawn hadn't realized that Tina had come up behind her while she was calling. "This is not about her," she said in a surprisingly kind voice.

Nodding, Dawn knew this about her doing her best. If she was worried about Buffy she would not do her best. She handed the phone back to Gen.

"And one more thing," Tina added as Dawn stood poised to skate out for her performance.

"What?" Dawn asked.

"Skate with your heart," Tina said.

"That's good advice." A voice said behind Dawn.

Dawn turned to find Buffy standing behind her. She smiled and hugged her sister.

"Now you go out there and do what Tina said. Skate with your heart." Buffy said smiling at her sister.

Dawn nodded and pushed off into the rink to begin her routine. In the center of the rink, Dawn struck her starting pose, with just a moment for one deep breath before the music began.

"Her's her opening jump, a double axel combination," Turner Banks announced.

Dawn spun in the air and, when she touched down, she knew immediately she was off-balance. She went over falling on the ice.

"Ohh! She touched down," Michelle Kwan said with a groan.

Buffy who stood next to Tina muttered, "Come on Dawn get up. You can do it."

"When the stakes are this high, this where the nerves come into play," Turner banks said sympathetically.

Dawn had to find a way to regain the points she'd surely lost by touching down. As she moved into position for her next jump, she decided at the last second that she would double it. She'd never doubled a triple flip—few skaters could—but she was willing to try.

Dawn jammed her toe pick into the ice as forcefully as she could manage and willed herself to climb higher and higher still. It seemed to be working… but then Dawn came down again.

Dawn tumbled over backward, slamming down hard on her butt and traveling nearly a yard before she could stop.

The crowd groaned.

Gen looked at Tina and Buffy, "She deviated."

Buffy shook her head, "What does she think she's doing. Trying to double a triple. That's a very hard jump."

Tina sighed, "Probably trying to recapture lost points. It was a risky move. But I will bust her for it, tomorrow."

Buffy shook her head, "Some deviation should be allowed. Mind you I said some. We don't want a whole routine where she has deviated. But she was right to try and make up lost points."

"I guess you're right. Deviation in moderation. But she must stick to the program otherwise." Tina said.

Gen looked between Tina and Buffy, "What's going on? Are you both coaching her or something?"

Buffy smiled, "Shh! It's a surprise. We agreed not to tell anyone till after Sectionals. Only your mom and I knew."

Dawn got up and looked to see how Buffy and Tina had taken it. She could tell they were talking. But what really got her attention was the three seats that had been marked reserved next to Buffy's still vacant seat were now filled. She smiled as she saw Giles, Willow and Xander watching her. Now she knew why Buffy had been late. She had been picking them up from the airport.

Suddenly, everything was all right. Dawn had her whole _'family'_ there watching her. She began to pick up speed, sailing around the ice. Dawn leapt up and spin into a triple salchow! Dawn landed… and sailed off on one foot.

"Triple salchow!" Turner Banks shouted enthusiastically into the PA system. "Perfect landing!"

The crowd went wild, cheering and applauding.

"That has to be the rally of the year!" Michelle Kwan commented.

Turner Banks agreed with her. "Nobody's come back this far from mid-program disaster since Midori Ito in the '92 Olympics." He said.

The crowd was still on its feet, cheering as Dawn bowed and waved to them. Flowers were thrown at Dawn's feet while she skated off, still waving. She saw Ann and Gen screaming and hugging each other.

* * *

**Chapter 13**

Dawn spotted Tina and Buffy waiting for her. They were applauding as hard as everyone else. She skated to the boards where Tina and Buffy met her. They sat with Dawn in the kiss-and-cry area awaiting Dawn's first set of marks, the ones for technical merit.

"I've been wondering something." Dawn said as she looked between her sister and Tina. "The announcers said I had was the only skater here today that had two coaches."

Buffy smiled as she handed Dawn a program, "It's true."

Dawn opened the program and looked down at her name. Next to her name it said: COACH – TINA HARWOOD, COACH – BUFFY SUMMERS.

Dawn looked up at Buffy, "Not that it's not nice to see you listed as my coach. Why are you?" she asked.

"Because she offered me a deal I couldn't refuse." Tina said. "You're now looking at the new co-owner of Harwood and Summers Skating Rink."

Dawn's eyes went wide.

"That's right Dawnie. I called in a favor from Giles. He gave me the money to become Tina's partner." Buffy said. "Tomorrow I will be quitting my job and going to work fulltime at the rink. I will be not only one of your two coaches as Tina will still coach you as well. But I will also coach other skaters as well as teach classes. This way I can help to coach you and still provide a living for the both of us."

The marks were finally posted. They were high, especially considering how disastrous the beginning of Dawn's program had been.

"These marks are nearly identical with those of Nikki Sellman, who is currently in first place," Turner banks told the crowd and TV viewers.

The second set of marks, the ones for artistic merit, came up on the scoreboard. "Again, almost dead even with Nikki," Turner banks said." Did she do it?"

In a second, the placement rankings came in.

"No!" Turner Banks cried. "She'll have to settle for the silver!"

"But only by one tenth of a point," Michelle Kwan added.

Dawn hugged first Buffy and then Tina, ecstatic. "Thank you," she said.

"After six more months of practice with Buffy and I, you'll be able to whip her butt easily," Tina promised, smiling.

Dawn got up and walked over to where Willow, Xander and Giles were waiting and hugged each of them in turn. "Thanks for coming guys. This was the most wonderful surprise I've ever had, you all coming to see me compete."

"Can you take one more surprise?" Giles asked. Dawn looked at him confused but she nodded. "When you're ready for college. Be it next week, next year, 10 years from now. You will have a full scholarship to any university you choose. The only stipulation is you work as a Watcher for at least one year."

Dawn's eyes widened. "Wow, thanks Giles." She hugged the man she considered to be as close to a father as she had ever had.

Xander nods, "Actually that's not the only surprise. I built you a display case for your trophies. You will find it back at your house ready and waiting for your first one."

Dawn wiped a tear from her face and hugged Xander, "Thank you."

Willow smiled at Dawn and handed her an envelope. Dawn opened the envelope to find an IOU. "What's this for?" Dawn asked.

Willow smiled, "Two plane tickets for you and Buffy to come see us. You just call and let us know when and we'll pay for them for the both of you to come see us."

Dawn smiled and hugged Willow as Buffy and Tina walked up behind her. She turned to her sister and Tina, "Of course it will have to be when I am not training."

Tina looked at Dawn and smiled. Willow had talked to Tina and Buffy already about the plane tickets. "Of course Dawn. I think we can set aside a week, maybe after Nationals that you and Buffy can go see your family."

A week later Buffy drove Dawn to the rink. As they drove up Dawn noticed that a new sign was being up on the side of the building. She read it and smiled: HARWOOD AND SUMMERS SKATING RINK – THE HOME OF SECTIONALS SILVER MEDALIST DAWN SUMMERS.

Dawn looked at the sign and smiled. She knew Buffy likely had talked Tina into the new sign. But she couldn't have been more proud to see her name up there.

As they pulled into the parking lot and found Tina waiting by the door. Dawn got out of the car, followed by Buffy, and walked over to Tina. "Thank you." She then looked at Buffy. "Thank you."

Tina shook her head, "The sign was Buffy's idea. Took some convincing for me to go along with it. Especially since we would have to change it when you win Nationals."

Buffy hugged her sister as they and Tina walked into the rink to begin Dawn's practice session. "Let's get to work." Buffy said.

Dawn nodded in agreement. She had a lot to do between now and Nationals and she was ready…

* * *

**Author's Notes: **I actually had fun writing this one. The ending you see while was not written till the end. It was what I wanted to do since I started this story. I wanted Buffy to end up at the end either with Tina, or solo, training Dawn.

I'm a fan of Michelle Trachtenberg's and Ice Princess is one of my favorite movies of hers. Watching it gave me the idea to do it from Dawn and Buffy's perspective. I hope you all liked it.


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